Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/05/2022 02:55 PM |
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Schouten takes gold in womens 3k speed skating for the Netherlands….OC is surely pleased.
What events are you guys watching / interested in? |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/05/2022 04:28 PM |
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Thanks for keeping an eye out for orange speed skaters but I have no idea who Schouten is or any of the other participants. Lost track and with that interest. I could see watching Olympics again when I’m retired and bored hahaha.
Paying more interest to regular euro soccer leagues and the weather. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to execute a 16 km Nordic ski ascent at 5% next week on a bluebird day, all groomed. Driven up it to go hiking, ridden up it (half paved, half gravel) and skied halfway up it 2x but never all the way. They only groom it once a week and conditions deteriorate pretty quick after due to snow drifts so all of the pieces have to fall into place. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 02/05/2022 08:33 PM |
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Enjoying the many viewing options this Olympics.
IC: climbing skins. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/05/2022 08:35 PM |
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| Great finish to the Mixed Relay Biathlon…..J.T. Boe made an amazing comeback on the last lap to set up a three way sprint….great race. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/05/2022 09:18 PM |
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Posted By Frederick Jones on 02/05/2022 08:33 PM
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IC: climbing skins.
Thanks for suggestion. Have used them in past on some 15% ish stuff and steeper but not needed them on this one. The first half which I did twice is steepest but doesn’t get over 10%. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/05/2022 09:33 PM |
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| Actually watching snowboard jumps now. Which reminds me, the ski and snowboard group races or whatever they’re called are awesome if only cause they’re a bit like demolition derbies. When are those on? |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/06/2022 10:09 AM |
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Women Snowbard Cross finals is Feb 9, Mens Feb 10.
Also superior event because there no no judging involved…first to the line wins.
If you have subjective judging, it isn’t a sport. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/06/2022 11:52 AM |
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CK, agree on the judged events. I love watching skating; not for the spins and stuff but just to watch the glide of powerful skaters. (I grew up watching Bobby Orr.)
As you know, I watch virtually no TV so seeing live Olympics happens rarely. Well, 1994; the Norway winter Olympics. I was leaving the athletic club when the last round of the couples ice dance was on in the lobby. Missed all but the tail end of the bronze skate which was the usual with the emphasis on the flourishes. Then the US couple came on. Out of the running for bronze, they decided to just skate clean and forget about the score. That woman could skate! I just stood there with my jaw on the floor. I hadn't seen such an exhibition of pure skating since watching my hockey hero. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/06/2022 12:00 PM |
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Thanks CK. Ski cross is week following. Should make for four evenings of Olympic coverage overall.
Agreed on judging. But also finding traditional ski events a bit boring. It’s like watching TTs. Much better when they race each other. Same goes a bit for speed skating. It’s one on one but still. A skating marathon race with escapes, drafting sprints is far superior. |
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eurochien
Posts:163
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| 02/06/2022 01:40 PM |
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| Grouchy here... I'm not following. Feel bad for the athletes but I'm over it with China. I don't know how they got those winter games 16 years only after they got the summer ones. I'm over the PRC government crackdown on anybody/anything that does not toe the Party line, I'm over their absurd anti covid measures, when the disease originated and spread from there. Not interested in watching ski racing on a ribbon of artificial snow. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/06/2022 03:38 PM |
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China got it because due to cost there was very little interest in hosting Olympics. Their ability to reuse facilities is actually the one big positive. Agree w all rest.
We had to truck around a whole bunch of snow in 2010. Way too warm for snow that year. Today is a shorts cycling day haha I am sitting outside mid ride on a patio drinking beer. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/06/2022 05:01 PM |
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Today is a shorts cycling day haha I am sitting outside mid ride on a patio drinking beer
I hate you. |
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eurochien
Posts:163
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| 02/06/2022 06:49 PM |
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Posted By Orange Crush on 02/06/2022 03:38 PM
China got it because due to cost there was very little interest in hosting Olympics. Their ability to reuse facilities is actually the one big positive.
I don't know about that... Yeah ok they reused their bird nest stadium for the opening ceremony, but the other facilities (obviously for non-winter sports) are not exactly hopping with activity. They carved out the side of a mountain to create downhill ski runs, fed by who knows how many snowmaking guns gobbling thousands of gallons of water, 1.5 million people evicted from their homes (I'm sure the Party took care of them haha). Really, no thanks.
Can't wait for the oh-so eco-friendly FIFA World Cup in Qatar in the middle of summer, that one should be a doozy as well.
https://www.insider.com/abandoned-olympic-venues-current-day-pictures-2016-5 |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/06/2022 07:25 PM |
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That’s a huge number of displaced. Didn’t know that. But we’re not doing better ourselves. Atlanta displaced 30,000. LA back when not much better and negative effects of LA 2028 are already being felt as gentrification. Same deal here in Vancouver 2010 with social housing. So it’s a bit of a pot kettle situation until we clean up our own act. The calls for a permanent venue make sense or just get rid of it entirely.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/07/29/olympics-is-disaster-people-who-live-host-cities/ |
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smokey52
Posts:493
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| 02/06/2022 08:32 PM |
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| My wife & I tried to watch some Olympic events last night. NBC only showed race heats with US skaters. The rest was filler and ads. We changed the channel. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/06/2022 10:38 PM |
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| Smokey, if you have Comcast, I highly recommend the Peakcock app instead of the broadcast. You can pick and choose what to watch and a lot of the events are virtually commercial free. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/07/2022 11:52 AM |
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Anyone catch Van der Poel on skates?
And of course Ireen Wust. 5th olympic participation. 5th time she returns home with gold. That is some career.
Not that I saw any of it, just catching up on the news. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 02/07/2022 12:03 PM |
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It's time for the Summer Olympics to be hosted in Athens (that's the one in Greece, not in Georgia or Ohio) from now on and the Winter Olympics in Norway.
And let's do away with events that take something other than a stop watch or a finish line to determine the winner. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/07/2022 12:37 PM |
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Posted By Dale Dale on 02/07/2022 12:03 PM
It's time for the Summer Olympics to be hosted in Athens (that's the one in Greece, not in Georgia or Ohio) from now on and the Winter Olympics in Norway.
And let's do away with events that take something other than a stop watch or a finish line to determine the winner.
So all ball sports? That's kinda harsh. (And ice hockey plays well in Norway.)
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/07/2022 12:40 PM |
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And let's do away with events that take something other than a stop watch or a finish line to determine the winner.
Or an objective scoring system...i.e. put a ball *here* to score *this many* points. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/07/2022 12:46 PM |
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Don't forget about shuttlecocks. And bullets.
Frisbees? |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 02/07/2022 12:48 PM |
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Sorry, I did leave off the contests with objective scores.
Other than curling. A fancy synchronized housekeeping skill should not be turned into an Olympic event. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/07/2022 01:50 PM |
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A fancy synchronized housekeeping skill should not be turned into an Olympic event.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/07/2022 08:21 PM |
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| So what’s up with this Eileen Gu that everyone suddenly seems to be writing about? |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/07/2022 10:02 PM |
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She is a Chinese-American athlete who decided to compete for China instead of the US.
She is extremely smart (1580 SAT score) and does side modeling jobs.
She is also ridiculously talented. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/08/2022 10:35 AM |
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| Thanks CK. I Duck-Ducked "Georgia, the country" to see how far from Greece it is to make a smart quip about Athens and the real Georgia (also I'm reading about the Crusades and that part of our world a millennia ago). Clicked on the usual sea of images, photos and maps on Georgia, the scenes, the architecture, the dress, ... and photo after photo of an Asian woman named Gu! Huh? |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/08/2022 11:20 AM |
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Posted By Cosmic Kid on 02/07/2022 10:02 PM
She is a Chinese-American athlete who decided to compete for China instead of the US.
She is extremely smart (1580 SAT score) and does side modeling jobs.
She is also ridiculously talented.
Yes, all that is clear. But can't figure out the why. Doesn't seem political. Is it about money? - lots of sponsorship deals with Chinese companies. Or something else. It seems a risky personal move that wasn't needed with no obvious reason beside what little she lets on. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 02/08/2022 11:37 AM |
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But can't figure out the why.
This.
It's not like she has no talent and competes for some tiny semi-connected country just to go the the Olympics. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/08/2022 12:12 PM |
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| Ben - now I'm wondering if DuckDuckGo is somehow related to Quack.com. This was an early smart search voice recognition phone portal to the internet before they put screens and actual internet on phone. Some friends were involved and I trialed it in 1999 - it had a hard time with my Dutch accent. Still, they struck it pretty rich selling to AOL. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quack.com |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/08/2022 01:04 PM |
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But can't figure out the why.
I think it is just a combination of all the above...she is attractive, incredibly talented and essentially defected to China. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 02/10/2022 06:15 AM |
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Russian figure skater positive A sample. Figure skater!
Color commentator gushes about a Russian xc skier who performs well only on Olympic years, without a sense of irony. Uh huh.
As for Gu, as smart as she is, she seems to have underestimated the powerful symbolism of her choice. |
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6ix
Posts:485
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| 02/10/2022 07:16 AM |
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| After watching Icarus and seeing the fallout from the Sochi olympics, it comes as no surprise that the Russians are still cheating. Not like other countries are innocent in that respect, but it's state-sponsored and goes all the way back to Putin. None of them should even be in the Olympics at all. I don't care that they technically aren't representing Russia. What penalty have they truly been given? And doping a 15-year old? I love the comments made by their team doctors. "Stop bothering her, it's nothing that could have helped her in competition." Sure buddy, sure. We're cycling fans here. We know quite a bit about how those seemingly benign drugs just randomly find their way into the athletes and absolutely don't offer any performance benefits whatsoever. Uh huh, sure. When you're competing at that level, representing countries that are still stuck in Cold War / playground / dick-measuring contests, they will stop at nothing to have even the slightest of edges over the other. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 02/10/2022 08:11 AM |
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| Agree that this is in large part on the IOC. Gutless wonders.
Now Putin can invade Ukraine, it’s the IOC’s fault. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/10/2022 08:41 AM |
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On the doping note are the Norwegians still all asthmatic? I recall at last Olympics they had a stash that would make Froome jealous. The Swedes were quite upset.
As to figure skating the biggest cheating happens on the jury bench. I don’t know why they’d bother with doping as bribery is the proven way to go to influence outcomes. This story is taking a definite backseat in NL to the row between Dutch and Swedes about lobbying by the orange for changes to ice quality at the speed skating ring. We like it hard and fast. Once again the Swedes are quite upset. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/10/2022 09:18 AM |
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Posted By Evan Solida on 02/10/2022 07:16 AM
When you're competing at that level, representing countries that are still stuck in Cold War / playground / dick-measuring contests, they will stop at nothing to have even the slightest of edges over the other.
Wait, did you just describe Russia or the USA, or both? I’d have to go for both LOL. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/10/2022 09:40 AM |
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Posted By Orange Crush on 02/10/2022 09:18 AM
Posted By Evan Solida on 02/10/2022 07:16 AM
When you're competing at that level, representing countries that are still stuck in Cold War / playground / dick-measuring contests, they will stop at nothing to have even the slightest of edges over the other.
Wait, did you just describe Russia or the USA, or both? I’d have to go for both LOL.
I recently saw a world map of US bases with nuclear missiles. We have Russia completely surrounded. It is as if we had Russian missiles all along the Canadian border, Nova Scotia, Bermuda, the Bahamas, throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii ... . And we had issues when Russia wanted just one base on Cuba.
Performance drugs for 15 yo girls? We all know they had no effect on either performance or lifestyle of Genevieve Jeanson. She went on to become ordinary pack fodder.  56 minutes up Mt Washington? Isn't that the year the mountain sank 500'? |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/10/2022 10:27 PM |
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| Just saw in the NY Times that the 15 yo girl had trimetazidine in her system. Heart medicine. Anyone know what it's for and what performance advantage to be had? |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/10/2022 11:46 PM |
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Improves blood flow supposedly I think. Not sure how that affects figure skating. Sounds like she tested positive at Russian nationals. So if this is all a Russian conspiracy why would they even be testing there haha. Although it was supposedly a Swedish lab that flagged it this week.
Finally saw snowboard cross. Awesome races on mens side. Bunch of photo finishes. Some crashes. It’s not a contact sport but it can be. Nice USA story on women side. Zero commercials in recast. Ski cross should be even better next week. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/11/2022 09:24 AM |
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| Yeah, just watched the Mens snowboard Cross last night....great racing. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 02/11/2022 10:15 AM |
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Snowboard. Reminds me of an episode 9 or 10 years ago.
One of the companies I worked with flew us out to the Gore-Tex facility in Delaware to get educated and tour a couple of their plants. Really interesting and I see the value in Gore-Tex.
Anyway, in one of the rooms the tour guide showed us the suits for the US Olympic Snowboard Team for the upcoming winter games. Before my brain realized what my mouth was saying, out came, "Where's the dope stash?"
The guide was NOT amused though my fellow reps were all busting a gut.
I told one of them it was his responsibility to baby-sit me the rest of the trip and stop me from talking. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/18/2022 11:07 PM |
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| Ski cross did not disappoint. Good racing. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/19/2022 12:02 PM |
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| Belgium gets a gold in Winter Olympics for first time since 1948. Perhaps the best speed skating event, mass start. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 02/19/2022 05:35 PM |
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1948? That surprises me, I figured there would have been a respectable amount of skating gold for your side, you know, Hans Brinker and all that  |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/19/2022 06:16 PM |
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Perhaps you’re confusing the Belgians with the Orange Dale?
The Orange are a powerhouse in Winter Olympics medal haul. Belgium not al all.
Of course Swings the guy who won is treated as one of our own in Nl cause that’s where he lives trains and races. Much like MVDP and Max Verstappen are as much considered Belgian as Dutch. Both live in Belgium although the race under the Orange flag. BTW, Schouten, subject of CKs first post in this thread is now off with three gold medals and a bronze. Just another Dutch skater who grew up on a farm. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 02/19/2022 06:41 PM |
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| Nah, I figured the Belgians would have won several metals. Guess not. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/19/2022 07:19 PM |
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They average 0 or 1 medal in winter games. This time looks to be first time since 1948 they got a gold and first time since 1948 they got 2.
Maybe if they add cyclocross to the games lol. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/19/2022 08:21 PM |
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OC, its the mass start racing. Now if they start adding stage races on skates, the Belgians will have to step up and learn to skate against the clock. And when they add cobbles, watch out! Real cobbles would be kinda hard on skate blades. But an ice maker could be made to make ice cobbles. (Ben goes and duck-ducks Zamboni. An American, Frank Zamboni lived in Paramount, CA, making and selling ice. Refrigerators arrived, business left and Mr Zamboni built an ice rink using his now surplus reefer equipment. In those days, it took 5 men 90 minutes to resurface a rink. Zamboni invented a machine using a hydraulic cylinder from an A-20 attack plane, an oil derrick chassis and a Jeep engine. By 1953, he was using a Jeep chassis and had his patent. Indoor ice was never the same!
Funny that Zambonis were born in California. I grew up watching old men do absolutely perfect 4-wheel sliding turns to make ice in the minimum of passes, leaving no missed spots. (Boston. Every rink had one of those old men.) Moved to the west coast and watched hacks botch the jobs many times.
But to get back to bike racing (oops, speed skating) - an enterprising Belgian needs to step up, invent cobbled ice and be forever famous (in rather small circles). On the west coast, "Zamboni" is password to see if that stranger is from back east and grew up with real sports. A blank stare and no. If they know, it's instant passionate dialog. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 02/19/2022 09:40 PM |
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Ben - they already have racing against the clock. All main speed skating events are basically TTs.
They also have stage racing. It’s called the allround championship held over two days: 500, 1500, 5000 and 10000 m TTs (4 stages).
Cobbles? That would presumably be skating on natural ice.
Now uphill and downhill skating that be something.
What I’d really like to see though is the 100k mass start events that they run all winter in NL. Just 10k is like a crit. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 02/20/2022 11:48 AM |
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I've sailed ice boats on cobbled ice. DNs of the modern single steering skater forward. Like sitting on a jackhammer. And a 60 yo A-class (I think I remember that right) with the steerer aft. This on ice that was really bad. A fleet of DNs were beating themselves up that day. I got to ride the old Cadillac in style at 50 mph (almost their speed).
So the Dutch really do have all the events and Belgium just has to get with it and make a few roads (canals) to generate interest. And just thinking with my typing fingers - they could lay some refrigeration pipes under the pavement on hills. Water the hilltop with hoses. Equip a Zamboni with studded tires. With a couple hundred miles of canals laid out with right angle turns and periodic iced off-ramps leading to those iced hills - real mass start racing! |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 02/20/2022 04:22 PM |
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Finnish XC skier froze his penis in the Mass start event.
Yeah, fook that. |
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